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Columbus Blue Jackets Today

Top officials of the 2016 Rio Olympics and the chief of staff for Brazilian president
Dilma Rousseff met for two hours and repeated assurances that, despite
well-publicized delays, test events and the games themselves will meet proposed deadlines.

The meeting, which was described as “crucial” three weeks ago by inspectors from the
International Olympic Committee, was postponed several times. IOC officials said it focused on
funding and venue planning.

Officials at the meeting, including Sports Minister
Aldo Rebelo, Rousseff’s chief of staff
Aloizio Mercadante and
Carlos Nuzman, president of the organizing committee, left without speaking to
reporters and gave no details about budgets or planning.

“The Brazilian government reiterates that deadlines will be met,” the sports ministry said in a
statement. “All the guarantees exist for works to be handed over in time for test events, and the
games themselves will take place without disorder.”

The Rio Games — like Brazil’s World Cup in two months — have been hampered by delays, rising
costs and concerns about the lack of coordination among Brazil’s three levels of government.

Brazil faced strong criticism yesterday from the head of Olympic summer sports federations, who
said “we are at risk at sports venues” in Rio. He said a “Plan B” had to be considered.

“It’s getting very serious,” said
Francesco Ricci Bitti, speaking in Belek, Turkey. “The organizing committee is
doing its best, but the government is not supporting enough.”

Yesterday also marked the second week of a strike by more than 2,000 workers at Rio’s Olympic
Park, the main cluster of venues for the games. Rio organizers acknowledged work will have to speed
up when the strike ends.

Work at the second-largest cluster of venues, called Deodoro, has yet to begin. There also are
worries over a delayed golf course, and severe pollution in Guanabara Bay, the sailing venue.

• The agent for five-time Olympic gold medalist
Ian Thorpe said the 31-year-old will never swim again after contracting two
potentially deadly infections while undergoing shoulder surgery.

James Erskine said Thorpe was “quite sick” in the intensive care ward of a Sydney,
Australia, hospital, but dismissed reports the swimmer might lose the use of his left arm. Erskine
said that Thorpe’s condition was “serious but not life-threatening. He’s contracted two forms of
bugs in the hospital. He’s undergone two or three operations over the last two months so … I mean
bad luck. He’s quite sick, but that’s the situation.”

Erskine said Thorpe contracted the infections during a series of surgeries on his shoulder at a
clinic near his home in the Swiss town of Ronco sopra Ascona.

Elsewhere

Sanzenbacher signs deal to remain with Bengals

The fourth-year pro out of Ohio State received limited playing time last year in a reserve slot
receiver role. He caught six passes for 61 yards in 80 snaps. His role should expand next season
with the departure of
Andrew Hawkins to Cleveland.

• Royce Waltman , an assistant to
Bob Knight at Indiana and a longtime basketball coach around the Hoosier state,
died on Monday night after a long illness. He was 72.

• North Carolina State sophomore forward
T.J. Warren is entering the NBA draft.

Warren, the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, led the league at 24.9 points per game
and shot a league-best 52.5 percent.

• The national championship game’s television viewership was down from last year.

Connecticut’s 60-54 victory over Kentucky on Monday on CBS averaged 21.2 million viewers. That’s
down 9 percent from the 2013 Louisville-Michigan game.